Can you believe it? For those of you who I've told I was working on this I've finally got something to show :D The sculpt is still quite crude but I've begun working on it again. This is just the overall shape / outline. I'll begin adding the border and circle detail on the bottom as soon as I'm satisfied with the shape. Enjoy :)

YEAH! Love it so far :) Gonna vac form 'em or glass¿ I'm pretty sure the originals are vac'd w/ leather over that. - but i could be wrong.

Feb 23, 2003

Zam I Am

Re: my shin guard progress

Woohoo!!!! looks awesome. what did you use? Clay on top of a mannequin? Cause that is definately some nice work. Have you decided how you are going to do the back calf side where there are three (straps? hooks?)

Feb 23, 2003

Dustin Crops Boy

Re: my shin guard progress

the back has just 3 standard black snaps - nothing more, nothing less.

:D Great!! that's what I was planning. Do you have an idea about the size and style of snap? All I have to go off of are the action figures.

I put all the rest of the detail around the bottom this afternoon. I still need to smooth the whole thing out. I'll get some more pics up hopefully in a couple days.

Zam I Am, this past summer (sheesh talk about slow) I made a mold of my wife's leg and cast a plaster leg to work off of. I recently used the length of the pistol to scale the rest and had to modify my sculpt althouth it is really close to what I had started way back when.

Dallas, after looking at the pics you took especially the ones that you can see inside the guard from underneath (numbers 4232 and 4235) I am under the impression that it is made from a slush mold. It looks a lot like the inside of my royal guard helmet. When looking at the large image of 4235, I can see the rough shape of the inside of the circle piece. Infact, that is what I plan to do. I want to make it out of a similiar material. I want to make it so it will flex a little but still be quite durable. I still haven't nailed down the products yet. Also as you mentioned, it does look like it has a leather texture to it. I have been planning to texture the sculpt with leather or a stamp made from leather prior to making the mold. I'm hoping this will work like patching vinyl with a stamp. If that doesn't turn out, a lightweight leather could be wetformed to it.

Moncal are the added bottom portons raised or indented. it is hard to tell from your pictures, but I know from the MOM shots dallas took they all appear to be raised. Just thought I would point that out if you had indented them.

Feb 24, 2003

Dustin Crops Boy

Re: my shin guard progress

well - they're definetly leather covered... you can see this clearly in some of the pix - especially down by her shoes - where you can see the leather edge rolled under the edge of the shin.

The snaps are standard black Dritz™ snaps you can get at any fabric store - the kind that are 4 parts.

Feb 24, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

Ragresen, yes they're raised :) sorry if it's a bit of an illusion.

Dallas, I think you're absolutely correct! It is very evident in your pic #4235. Inside what would be her right shin, it looks like the leather has come unstuck and the rough edge is clearly visible. I suppose the top was too pointy to do the same detail as the bottom so they edged the top with a strip of leather .

Another thing I just noticed in your pic #4232 again on her right shin, it looks like they spaced the shin from the foot guard where they bolt together with a piece of white cloth. Not that that's necessary but interesting anyway :D

cal

Mar 5, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

After talking with the rep. at smooth-on, I think I have the plastic material figured out. I just need to figure volume, order the stuff and hopefully be able to get a positive casting :D Then onto forming some leather ;)

cal

Mar 13, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

I ordered the casting materials today. I'll post an update as soon as I have a casting! :D yeah..on to the next step

Mar 17, 2003

Ragresen

Re: my shin guard progress

I have lookedd over the pictures mentioned and even at others and I am not convienced that they are leather covered. I say that because you would see soem form of wrinling on some of the edges if it was and that part that was mentions on the inside I see nothing there at all that says it is an endge of leather. I see an area that looks like light hitting the inside different, but it is too blurred to tell what it is. Also I recommend they be done in fiberglass or vaccume molded as they will need to be flexable to get in and out of them.

Mar 17, 2003

Zam I Am

Re: my shin guard progress

Moncal, fiberglass right?

Mar 17, 2003

Dustin Crops Boy

Re: my shin guard progress

i have seen MANY pix that prove your wrong, ragresen ;)

Oh, and i saw it in person too :D They ARE leather covered.

Mar 17, 2003

Zam I Am

Re: my shin guard progress

What kinda leather do you suggest? That guard sure is smooth. I mean, I don't see any leather grains. Any proposals on getting them so freakin smooth?

Mar 17, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

I am going to make them similiar to how a Royal Guard helmet is made. From looking at the pics DCB took, the inside of the shin guard looks pretty much the same as the inside of my RG helmet. At any rate, After previously asking about this stuff over at the RPF and then talking with the rep at smooth-on, I've ordered a plastic material that I can do a slush mold and it will be semi-rigid and somewhat flexible at the same time. With the way I am planning to do the snaps on the back, it will unsnap, flex enough to slide a foot through and flex back and snap. I haven't received the material yet..I hoped it would have been here by today. I'll know more after I make a casting as to how it will react. I would hope to have the material and give it a go in the next few days.

As for the leather, perhaps we can work together on figuring the best material for the job. I don't have the luxury of talking with a knowledgeable leather salesmen here locally as I live in a ski resort community thus, few suppliers of such things. (smiles real big)...Perhaps zam i am can take her standup back to the leather shop and ask about that one too :D
Ragresen,
I wasn't 100% convinced at first either but after DCB pointed it out, it was very apparant to me. I always thought it had a leather texture to it but wasn't sure. The first real clue for me was the trim on the top edge. The second was inside the bottom of her right guard, the leather looks like it has come unstuck. The line that shows the edge of the plastic underneath fades away at the same point the leather fold inside appears to be leaning out. Tough to explain ;)

I have a 501 thing to go to this weekend, so mebbe next weekend. I still have to get my tandy catalog first. Moncal, did you get a catalog? There might tandy store near you, they are all over the US. I will try and ask the guy, but I am not crazy about this whole natural leather idea (for the skirt). It's very high maintenance. I don't want to have to worry about "treating" and conditioning the leather every year. I can understand repairs if damaged, but not high maintenance. Same idea would apply for shin gaurds for dyeable leather. I can't imaging having to do that for all the leather parts. Yuck. The guy offered some help, but he got busy with customers. I work 2 jobs, so I can only see the guy on Saturdays before 2pm to ask him questions.

Mar 18, 2003

sith camaro

Re: my shin guard progress

If it's leather, and you get some softer stuff, you should be able to give the shin a layer of rubber cement, and tightly stretch the leather over the surface.
As for the shirt Zam, don't worry about conditioning. Unless you plan on hanging it out in the middle of the desert, in the wind, it won't be a problem. ;) There's a product that they make that you just wipe onto the back of the leather, and it'll keep it from cracking up. :lol No, not that cracking up...
But this stuff is mainly used to restore old leather, like old military belts, ect.

Mar 19, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

Sith,
Is it similiar to saddle-soap? for softening old leather?

Mar 19, 2003

TheWookie

Re: my shin guard progress

OK. Here's the way this works:

1. Wetform the leather (2-3 ounce max) to the piece and let it dry. Make sure to get the edges rolled over the plastic or whatever and clamp them to the inside. DO not allow the clamp to touch the exposed areas that will be visible. When it is completely dry, peel the leather away and it will have the shape. Apply contact cement to the shin guard and the leather, let it get tacky, and the press together carefully smnoothing as you go. The contact cement will make the leather slightly moldable just enough to move it around a little against the surface. This is how I did it for CEL 2 and it is still holding up. Recommend Barge for the contact cement. Very good stuff.

May 27, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

O.k.,
I've finally got a little more settled in my new home, am learning my way around my new pc, and am able to work on this again :)
Here's the first casting fresh out of the mold:
Sorry they're a little blurry!http://img75.exs.cx/img75/3079/shincast24rb.jpg

I've got to refine my process a bit as it's a little thin in spots but I believe it's going to work :)
I'll post more when I've got it cut. I think I'm going to make a plaster casting to shape the leather to. Now I need to go find the leather.

May 27, 2003

MaulMaus

Re: my shin guard progress

Yeah... I still see the boxes in the background! ;) Moving is just no fun!

The casts are looking great though! Nice work!

May 28, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

Thanks for the compliment!!
Yeah, I should take pictures of other rooms...wait, there aren't any rooms..just tunnels through mounds of boxes and that's for real! This place is just temporary...it's so much smaller than my house that we moved from uggh

May 28, 2003

Zam I Am

Re: my shin guard progress

Looks great, so, you are going to try to wet form it after making another cast? Or, are you gonna sand/drill/dremel the legs out?

May 28, 2003

MonCal

Re: my shin guard progress

I'm thinking about making a plaster "master" and wetform the leather to it since it'll be solid. The formed leather should fit the castings. I was originally planning to wetform to the casting but since it's hollow and flexible, I don't think it'll be rigid enough to stretch leather against.